Minnow dipper and holder



Oct. 23, 1962 H. E. swANsoN 3,059,369

MINNOW DIPPER AND HOLDER Filed Sept. 27, 1961 f /0 /,Z A 30 (ai 70 36 2 i0 2 Q51 60 3 I, I :13 34) INVENTOR. HAROLDE WANSON A TTORNEY United States Patent O" 3,059,369 MINNOW DIPPER AND HOLDER Harold E. Swanson, Waverly, Minn. Filed Sept. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 141,213 6 Claims. (Cl. 43-4) This invention concerns a live bait handling device; in particular, it concerns a new and improved minnow dispenser adapted for dipping minnows from a container and holding them while they are being hooked preparatory to being released for use as bait.

There are a large variety of such devices on the market today. These include dippers and holders that have means in their handles for receiving, holding and releasing minnows after being dipped from a bucket, as well as those characterized by various types of conical bodies that discharge the minnow from their lower end. The former are generally difiicult to manipulate with one hand as the fisherman has to change the position of the device between the dipping operation and the hooking step often resulting in lost minnows which eventually find their way into the bilge of the boat. The latter type or conical body type either do not hold the minnow firmly during the hooking operation or prevent the easy attachment of a hook while the minnow is being held. In addition, the spoon shaped holders and dippers that make up a part of the prior art are frequently disadvantageous in that a one hand operation is quite difiicult to attain and their shape makes it hard to capture minnows in a cylindrical bucket.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a minnow dispenser that will overcome the disadvantages listed above.

Another important object of this invention is to provide an improved minnow dipper and holder.

A further object of this invention is to provide a minnow dispenser having novel structural characteristics and improved operational qualities.

Another object of this invention is to provide in a minnow dispenser novel and improved means for holding and releasing a minnow that is carried therein.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a minnow dispenser having novel means for manipulating the minnow with one hand after it has been caught whereby to hook the minnow easily with the other hand.

Another object of this invention is to provide in a minnow dispenser novel means for restraining the minnow during the hooking operation cooperative with novel means for releasing the minnow after it has been hooked.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a minnow dispenser that is relatively inexpensive to produce, easy to operate with one hand, rugged in construction and extremely durable.

Another object of this invention is to provide in a minnow dispenser of the type described, novel spring iased means for holding and releasing a minnow without requiring the use of two hands.

Another object of this invention is to provide a minnow dispenser having means for positively holding and restraining a minnow from movement during the hooking operation without harming the minnow.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide in a minnow holder and dipper, novel means for manipulating the minnow holding element into several positions whereby to easily capture, hold, and release the minnow with one hand.

Another object of this invention is to provide a minnow dispenser that is light in weight, compact in size and easy to operate.

Another object of this invention is to provide a minnow dispenser built according to sound mechanical design principles adapted to normally maintain the minnow holding fis fih Patented Oct. 23, 1952 element thereof in a natural minnow holding position and having novel means for clamping the minnow therein and releasing the minnow therefrom while leaving one hand free to hook and remove the minnow. These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more fully apparent from a consideration of the following detailed specification and accompanying drawing wherein a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the invention;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevatio-nal view of the invention with parts shown in dotted lines to illustrate different operating positions thereof;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view, partially in section, taken on the line 4-4 of FiGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a view, partially in section, taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURES 1 to 3 of the drawing illustrate the invention A in its entirety. My minnow dispenser includes an inverted conical dipping member In having a generally circular open top 12 and a generally circular open bottom 14 joined by a cone shaped perforated or mesh body 16. As shown in the drawing, bottom 14 is of lesser diameter than top 12 to provide a minnow dipping structure adapted to funnel the minnows into the open bottom 14 after their capture by means of top 12. Water easily passes through body 16 by virtue of the perforations 15 therein. Body 16 may be. made of stifl mesh material in place of the perforated structure disclosed in the drawing.

An elongated wire loop handle 20 is secured to the top 12 of dipping member 10. Handle 20 is of sufficient length to reach into a normal size minnow bucket and is made up of slender spaced elongated relatively inflexible longitudinal members 22,-24 connected at their outer end by an integral section 23. Carried transversely between members 22, 24 intermediate approximately the middle thereof and dipping member 10 are spring bars 26, 28, and hinge pin 30. Spring ba 26 is located remote from dipping member 10 on handle 20. Hinge pin is carried on handle 20 substantially adjacent dipping member 1% while spring bar 28 is located on handle 2% intermediate spring bar 26 and hinge pin 36. Hinge pin 30 is preferably carried by opposed lugs 32 mounted on members 22, 24 of handle 2%. 1

An elongated longitudinally spilt hollow Wire cage 40 is in communication with and forms an extension of bottom 14 of dipping member 10. Cage 40 is generally cylindrical in cross section and has a longitudinal axis that is coincident with the axis of dipping member .10. Cage 40 consists essentially of two parts. The forward section 42 (located on the edge of bottom 14 remote from handle 20) is fixedly attached to bottom 14 of dipping member 10. The rearward section 44 of cage 40, in free communication with the rearward edge of bottom 14, is pivotally secured to fixed section 42. Fixed section 42 and pivotally section '44 of cage 40 are made of, spaced generally semi-circular segments 51 each attached to central longitudinal supports 52, 54 respectively. Longitudinal support 52 of fixed section 42 is rigidly fastened to the forward edge of bottom 14 of dipping member 10 while support 54 of pivotal section 44 is connected to hinge pin 46 of fixed section 42 through lower segment 51 of section 44, as disclosed in FIGURE 4 of the drawing. The result is a pivotal minnow receiving, clamping and releasing cage in communication with the bottom of the conical dipping member 10.

Means for manipulating cage 40 include an elongated curved operating lever constructed of an inflexible wire loop 61 having spaced generally parallel legs 62 formed into a downwardly curved pivot section 63, slightly upwardly curved operating section 64 and a generally straight section 65 engageable at its lower end 66 with the upper end of pivotal section 44- of cage 40', as will be described. The pivot section 63 of lever 60 is drilled, as at 63a, to receive hinge pin 30 of handle 20 and nests between legs 22, 24 thereof. A slender wire torsion spring 70, mounted on hinge pin 30, has a leg 71 hearing against spring bar 28 and a leg 72 that is fixedly attached to pivot section 63, as at 63b, of lever 60. Spring 70 biases lever 60 in a clockwise direction so that straight section 65 and the lower end 66 thereof are normally urged in the direc tion of cage 40. The rear end of operating section 64 of lever 60 has a short downwardly curved finger engageable extension 72"adapted for the manipulation of the device, as will be explained.

Slightly forwardly of extension 72' and in register with spring bar 26 of handle 20 is a slender elongated resilient locking member 74 having a shape made up of a vertical section 76 extending upwardly from lever 60, a generally horizontal section 78 extending rearwardly from the upper limit of vertical section 76, a second vertical section 89 extending upwardly from horizontal section 78 and a hook section 82 at its upper extremity. Hook section 82 is not co-planar with the other'elements 76, 78, and 80 of locking member 74, it being designed to engage leg 22 of handle 20 to limit the clockwise rotation of lever 60. Looking member 74 is so positioned as to engage spring bar .26 with its horizontal section 78 to maintain lever 68 and cage 40 in a normaly minnow receiving position, as will be explained.

The lower end 66 of lever 60 is characterized by a pair of opposed parallel jaws 84 each having a slot 86 parallel to each other and in communication with the end thereof.

.Into slots 86 of jaws 84 is positioned a slender connecting link 88 consisting of three parallel struts 90 connected together at the end thereof engageable with lever 60 by means of a transverse cross strut 92 which is retained within slot 86 of jaws 84. Link 88 is preferably clamped within jaws 84 by closing the outer end of slot86 as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3. Link 88 is connected to the upper free end of pivotal section 44 of cage 40 to complete the assembly of the device. Preferably link 88 is formed integral with or rigidly secured -to the upper end of pivotal section 44 and bent into a re-entrant angle with its outer surface to form the structure disclosed. V

In use the fisherman grasps the minnor dispenser A by handle 20 and captures a minnow from its container. The minnow enters cage 40 in a head downward position, as illustrated in FIGURE 3. During this operation, cage .40 is in the minnow receiving position, represented by reference character II. Position II is achieved by the coaction of spring 70 and horizontal section 78'of locking member 74 which rests upon spring bar 26 of handle 20 to retard the clockwise movement of lever 60. This position of pivotal section 44 of cage 40 resultsin a generally cylindrically shaped cage 40 in communication with open bottom 14 of dipping member into which the minnow is received. V

F or hooking the minnow, locking member 74 is pushed forwardly with the thumb causing spring 70 to urge lever 60 further in a clockwise direction This results in pivotal section 44 of cage 40 assuming the closed or minnow clamping position represented by reference character I of FIGURE 3. Damage to fixed section 42 of cage 4t by contactwith pivotal section 44 during this step is prevented by hook section 82 which, by engaging leg 22 of handle 20, stops the clockwise movement-of lever 60 and limits the movement of pivotal section 44 toward fixed section 42. The minnow is easily hooked while restrained within cage 40 when cage 40 is in a closed or clamping position.

Release of the minnow after it has beenhooked is accomplished by lifting finger extension 72 and rotating lever 60 in a counterclockwise direction. This action causes pivotal section 44 of cage 40 to open into the 4 minnow release position shown by reference character III of FIGURE 3. When the minnow is released from cage 40, finger extension 72' may be released to allow lever and cage 40 to assume a normal minnow holding position (position II). V it Thus cage 40 may be manipulated by lever 60 into any one of three positions. Position 1 is the closed or minnow clamping position; position II is the normal minnow receiving position and position III is the open or minnow release position. Spring members and locking member 74 coact to limit the displacement of lever 60 in both directions.

The device may be made of standard materials according to well known methods For example, dipping momber 10 may be made of light perforated metal, plastic material or wire mesh material. The use of metal or light plastic may be similarly employed in the construction of the remaining components, no limitation in this regard being intended.

My invention has been sufiicien'tly tested and found to be entirely satisfactory. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that my invention may be modified by many substitutions and equivalents and that this disclosure is intended to be illustrative only. Therefore, I intend to be limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a minnow holder and dispenser, an inverted hol-' low truncated conical body, a hollow elongated longitudinally split cage connected to and in communication with the lower end of said conical body, said cage being generally open at the ends thereof and having an opening therein through which a fishhook may be inserted to hook a minnow placed in said cage, said cage including a pivotal section movable from a normal minnow receiv ing position into minnow clamping and minnow releasing positions, handle means secured to the upper end of said body, lever means mounted on said handle means and being engageable with said pivotal section for manipulat ing said pivotal section into a selected position, and means for normally biasing said pivotal section towards a minnow clamping position.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein releasable means co acting with said biasing means are provided to normally hold said pivotal section in a minnow receiving position.

3. Aminnow holder and dispenser including a hollow inverted truncated cone-shaped body having an open upper end and an open lower end, said body being adapted to pass water through the Wall thereof, a minnow receiving cage connected to and in communication with the lower open end of said body, said cage being generally open at its ends and having an opening through which a fishhook may be inserted to book a minnow placed in said cage, said cage being split length-wise and including a fixed section and a pivotally movable section, said movable section being hinged to the lower end of said fixed section, an elongated handle carried by the upper end of said body, a first class operating lever pivotally mounted on said handle, one end of said lever being connected to said movable section, the other end of said lever extending from the fulcrum point thereof towards the rear of said handle, means carried by said handle and engageable with said lever for normally biasing said movable section into clamping engagement with said fixed section, and releasable means carried by said lever and engageable with said handle for positioning said movable section into a normally spaced relation with said fixed section whereby said fixed section and said movable section assume a generally cylindrical shape substantially coincident with the lower end of said body, said movable section being pivotal into a clamping relationship with said fixed section and being movable into anopen position with respect to said fixed section.

4. In a minnow holder and dispenser, a funnel-shaped body, an elongated generally cylindrical cage in communication with and connected to the small end of said body, said cage being generally open at its ends and having an opening therein through which a fishhook may be inserted to hook a minnow placed in said cage, said cage including a fixed section having a generally semicircular cross section and a movable section forming therewith said cage, said movable section being pivoted to said fixed section at the lower end thereof, a handle secured to the large end of said b'ody; a finger engage able lever secured to said handle and to said movable section, spring means carried by said lever for normally biasing the free end of said movable section into clamping engagement with fixed section, and releasable means for holding said movable section in spaced relation to said fixed section where said cage is substantially cylindrical in shape and in alignment with the small end of said body.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein said funnel shaped 6 body is perforated so as to be adapted to pass water therethrough.

6. In a minnow holder and dispenser, an inverted hollow conical body, a hollow truncated elongated longitudinally split cage connected to and in communication with the lower end of said conical body, said cage being generally open at the ends thereof and having an opening therein through which a fishhook may be inserted to hook a minnow placed in said cage, said cage including a pivotal section movable from a normal minnow receiving position into minnow clamping and minnow releasing positions, handle means secured to said body, and means mounted on said handle means for manipulating said pivotal section into a selected position.

Bennek Apr. 4, 1950 Highland May 2. 1961 

